Hey Everybody,
Once a month, we have an all-staff meeting at church. We gather for prayer, celebration, training, and usually some fun. For today, the fun was a chili cook-off. There were 6 different chilis presented, along with cornbread, corn chips, and even a few pies! By 11:15 am, I was stuffed!
Today’s all-staff feasting comes in the middle of the feasting season for most of us. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, we are surrounded by all the cookies, sweets, treats, and banquet-sized meals at various family, friend, and corporate get-togethers. When we are enjoying so much food, it’s hard to imagine that there are places around the globe where hunger is the most significant problem they face! Hunger affects EVERYTHING. As many as 783 million people worldwide don’t receive enough nutrition to lead an active, healthy life, or provide for themselves and their families. Without proper nutrition, a person’s health is dramatically affected. In fact, almost half of all childhood deaths worldwide occur in children with malnutrition. Nutrition impacts education. Without the proper nutrition, the brain cannot develop properly, resulting in long-term effects on learning. And education is one of the strongest ways to break patterns of poverty.
That’s why we are partnering with Rise Against Hunger (www.riseagainsthunger.org) to provide 60,000 meals to those in need. Rise Against Hunger targets remote communities designated “serious” or higher on the Global Hunger Index. They tend to be some of the most challenging places to reach. They often have difficult access, lack communication, and have poor infrastructure. They partner with schools to incentivize attendance and provide the nutrition they need.
One of the exciting things about our partnership with Rise Against Hunger is that we are paying for 60,000 meals to be delivered to places of need and getting to be the ones that pack those meals! That’s right. Our church gets to literally be the hands that prepare these meals; we become the hands of Jesus to those in need. To pack 60,000 meals, we will need 200 volunteers, and I’m excited to tell you that sign-ups for the food packing event are officially open. The event will take place on Sunday, January 21st, from 2:30 to 4:30. This is a family-friendly, and we need lots of hands. Sign up here and plan to be a part of making a difference in the world.
As I promote this event, I do so in faith, believing we will reach our goal of $90,000 for The Gift. $25,000 of that is going towards this Rise Against Hunger event. We are also raising money to partner with 4 of our local schools, to send our kids and students to camp this summer, and to partner with our friends at Mosaico Church in Nashville. I have to level with you; I’m a little anxious about our progress towards the goal. As of this writing, we are just over one-third of the way toward our financial goal. But we don’t just have a financial goal; we also have a participation goal. We hope that 100% of those who call Believers home will participate. If EVERYONE does SOMETHING, I believe we will reach our goal. I’ve written over the past few weeks about what The Gift will accomplish, and if you missed any of those, go back into the archives and read up on it. You could also watch the Sunday service where we first laid out the goals of The Gift; you can watch that here.
How can you give? You can give during a service using the giving envelope provided with the program. You can also give through our app, our website, or simply by clicking on this link. Remember to designate your giving to The Gift. We will receive donations through the end of the year and have a special moment in our Christmas Eve services for receiving The Gift. Speaking of Christmas Eve services, we are offering 3 identical family-friendly services to choose from. On Saturday, December 23rd, at 4:30 or 6 pm, and another one on Sunday, December 24th, at 10 am. We look forward to celebrating Christmas with you and your friends and family. Be sure to invite someone to attend with you.
Can’t wait to see you THIS Sunday for the continuation of our series Bah Humbug.
Blessings,
Pastor Jamey
